PENAMPANG: A budget that is tabled before an election is an election budget, United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Dusun Murut Organization (UPKO) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok explained.
Dompok said this when asked to comment on claims by the opposition that Budget 2013 tabled by Prime Minister cum Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last Friday was an election budget.
“The last budget was also an election budget. I suppose if you are to be technical about it, any budget before an election is an election budget,” the Penampang member of parliament said when met after unveiling the new signage for SM St Michael here, yesterday.
STAR Sabah chief Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan had described the budget as a tactic to buy votes as well as an election budget.
Jeffrey was of the opinion that the goodies given would provide short-term relief to the people.
“It is really an election budget with a lot of goodies but unfortunately not significant to Sabah and Sarawak. While the goodies are welcomed including the transportation rebate and uniformed process, we believe that the government should abolish the Cabotage policy to provide a long-term relief for the cost living in East Malaysia,” Jeffrey had said.
Dompok who was met after unveiling the new signage for SM St Michael and presentation of awards to students to excelled in their examinations as well as co-curriculum yesterday pointed out that those who did not like the budget would always have something negative to say about it.
“There will always be negative comments from people who do not like the budget but I think there are things that you can put in the budget and there are things that you cannot put in the budget.
“So there must be a time for some of these other things to find their place in the budget and I think the government would do all its best to ensure that what needs to be covered will be covered in the years ahead,” he stressed.